The Opening Act of New Adventures in Retail

 I keep thinking things will settle down to the lazy days of spring where the weather is gorgeous and there is a certain sense of peacefulness.  New flowers are coming out. increasing daylight so people can be outside/play and thinking gardening thoughts.  And life is quiet.  Calm.

And then something happens like a comet shooting across the sky.  (Out of nowhere it arrives and then leaves almost as quickly.)  

An update to a law suit.  Video of the website is released (but doesn't actually promote any specific product which can be purchased from the website).  A delay and then jam is given out (but to whom and possible more importantly - who did not make the list?).  Trophies almost fall (oops).  Information slips out like when the official date of beginning USA residency.  (now, isn't that interesting?)

With them, it's always something in play or simmering just below the surface.  The diversity of the endeavors is really quite impressive.  This award, polo, speech, speech, being a doer of good works, photo with this person, a cooking show is about to start filming (allegedly - but not in her home - unlike Julia who is in Smithsonian), potential to sell dog leashes to jam to cookware.  The only unifying link would be her and therefore being associated with her.  I thought I read that the polls which are more general public than her fans do not indicate a lot of interest in her.  That translates to questions of how supportive will this population then want to buy product?  

The lack of unity could be a problem for them in some ways though.  Some groups like cookware might also do cookbooks but that is less expensive.  So more of them need to be sold to be as profitable.  More could be sold because it was cheaper but also if you didn't like it, you could give it away at the office party white elephant gift exchange.  Most people don't buy/keep an expensive cookbook for the one recipe they like.

Cooking people might not necessarily buy the premade jam except maybe as a one off to test it as worthwhile enough to keep it around and find a (not necessarily hers from the cookbook) recipe.

This brings up the potential problem of one off sales to see if I like it enough to buy it again.  So initial sales are not always indicative of future repeat buyers.

Do the stats support that cooks also have dogs and even open to a cross sell?  Or this and that interests (I don't remember all the different potential options but it had a kitchen sink feel to the list)?  To be successful, that means a lot of purchases, well, everything.  Everything all the time.  And, again and again.  And, new product has to always be in the pipeline to encourage people to buy the new and improved to replace the old and now inferior.

Plus you have to have all this "stuff" made up from somewhere (takes time - is this ethically sourced?) and then ready to ship means sitting somewhere.  Waiting means more time and where is that space? So now this means a warehouse, people to maintain it and the package it for: Shipping - which takes more time (even Amazon doesn't get everything to you the same or next day).  Hold that thought - or ... selling it in some stores.  But even if it is in a store somewhere, you still need a central location to get it to the store.  Plus, selling it in a store means they take their cut so less profitable to the product owner.

Inventory can be expensive to maintain if it isn't moving for some reason or another no matter where it is.  Drop shipping could be risky if the real manufacturer isn't producing the quality you thought you were getting (and there is this big delay in receiving it).  

Not everything will be a big seller so how much of a discount will be needed and when to make that decision in order to move that product?  To offer a discount means to set aside the ego and say: I'm here to make a profit even if it means not as much as I wanted to.  I have purchased some Martha stuff on a discount.

This will be an interesting show to watch unfold.